I heard on the news this past weekend that Mother’s Day is the biggest dining out day of the year. Well, not only did I NOT dine out yesterday, but I spent the weekend cooking up a storm. First tarts and these berries for a good friend’s daughter’s wedding shower, then a brunch feast for family for Mother’s Day. Fortunately I photographed everything, so you’re in for some yummy recipes the next couple of weeks!To make chocolate covered strawberries, find the largest, most uniform ones you can. You can either buy the expensive ones with the stem still attached, or just a nice box of berries with good size.Wash them gently in a colander under cold running water, then spread them on a towel to dry. I actually found you need to gently dry each one individually with a paper towel as well to get off all of the water before dipping them in chocolate.Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in a small glass bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until they are fully melted and glossy. I actually found the chocolate a bit too thick to work with, so thinned it with some half and half, turning it into a very thick ganache. If you do this, know that the texture of your chocolate will change. If you want that hard chocolate shell on the berries, don’t add anything to the chocolate and just keep reheating the chocolate so that it is as warm as it can be. But I kind of like the thick ganache coating on the strawberries better. When you bite into the ganache, it doesn’t crumble and fall off like the hard chocolate shell. As you work with the berries, lay them on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and make sure you have room to put the whole thing in the refrigerator.After the chocolate has cooled completely, you can optionally decorate them with white chocolate. To achieve this thin drizzle design, melt the white chocolate in the microwave the same way, stirring every 30 seconds until it’s melted. Spoon the white chocolate into a small Ziploc bag and seal, pressing the air out as you do. Prick a tiny pin hole in the bottom corner of the bag and use it like a pastry bag, working quickly to decorate the berries before the white chocolate cools down.Return the tray to the refrigerator to cool again and serve within 1 day for freshest berries.

Combine chocolate chips and half and half in a small glass bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and glossy. Work quickly to dip strawberries into the chocolate, and lay them on a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Reheat chocolate as you go if it becomes too thick. Refrigerate entire tray of strawberries until the chocolate is cool and has firmed up.

Heat white chocolate the same way in the microwave, then spoon into a small Ziploc bag and seal, pressing the air out as you do so. Prick a small pin hole in the bottom corner of the bag, and use it like a pastry bag to decorate the berries. Return the tray to the refrigerator to cool. Serve within 1 day for best results.